Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you’re doing well. I hope you’re having a great season, but we all know what happens at the start of each year: the New Years Resolution to lose weight. It’s an annual rite of passage. The gym fills up with new members most of whom will be gone by March. That makes me sad. I love seeing new people in the gym, but I think that many times they have their goals a little skewed. What I’d like to talk about today are some New Years Resolutions that should help you in the gym a little more then the general and somewhat meaningless “I want to lose some weight.”
1. I will lose ____ pounds in the next six months. See what I did there? Instead of a general thought, I got specific. Let’s say my number is 15 pounds in six months. What I’ll do is break it down. 15 pounds in six months is 2.5 pounds a month. That’s 1.25 pounds every two weeks, etc. Now you have smaller goals that will propel you towards your ultimate goal, and you’ve clarified what you want to achieve.
2. I will eat fruits or vegetables with every meal. There isn’t a goal, fitness oriented or otherwise, that this wouldn’t help. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away for good reason.
3. I will center my workouts around the free weight area of my gym. If your goal is to develop an extremely slow metabolism, then you can do your 45 minutes on the elliptical each day. If it’s to develop poor movement patterns and repeated use injuries, then you can stay on the machines. If it’s doing anything actually worthwhile, I suggest you start lifting free weights.
4. I will look into what will get me results. Resolution number three is a little glib. There are some goals that would involve longer treadmill sessions or more machine work, they just don’t apply to 95% of exercisers. Do some research into what you want to achieve and you will have a better chance of achieving it.
5. I will enjoy the process. You must realize that whatever your goal may be, it’s going to take time to get there and when that initial burst of enthusiasm dwindles, and it will, you stand a much better chance of seeing your goal through if you learn to enjoy what you’re doing. Do what you must to make it fun and you’ll wind up hitting goals you never even imagined!
For most of you, there’s no reason that you can’t finish 2011 in better shape than you started it. It’s just a matter of figuring out what you want and going for it! Have a great day and I’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks.
Mitch Rothbardt http://www.mitchrothbardtfitness.com/ MitchRothbardtTraining@yahoo.com 510-754-7113 Discover Your Strength!
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